Tuesday, February 3, 2015

Super Bowl Ads are #OnAMission with Cause Marketing

According to Variety.com, Super Bowl 2015 viewership was the highest it's ever been, with just over 114 million viewers throughout the game. No doubt a large number of viewers actually were into the tight-scoring game that was a nail biter on both sides the entire game.

But for the rest of us, it was all about the commercials. Many people had their own personal favorites, but what was most surprising was that there were a few standout causes that were reflected, both from a PSA and a corporate brand.

The NFL's ad agency produced the PSA from NoMore.org, that brings you into a domestic violence 911 call, where a dispatcher discovers the caller is placing a make-believe pizza delivery order as a cover up for a real emergency call. Putting yourself in the shoes of this woman is chilling enough to give anyone goosebumps. Here's the PSA now:



Perhaps the most shocking cause-related ad was by Nationwide, which shows a little boy who states he will never grow up to live a myriad of situations such as riding a bike or getting married because he drowned in his bath tub. This ad received a lot of negative feedback from social media as too dark and depressing. Yet according to Nationwide: "Preventable injuries around the home are the leading cause of childhood deaths in America. Most people don't know that. Nationwide ran an ad during the Super Bowl that started a fierce conversation. The sole purpose of this message was to start a conversation, not sell insurance."



And overall there was an increase in "feel good" ads around dads being good dads, such as this Nissan commercial set to Cats in the Cradle. My personal favorite commercial was the heartwarming #BestBuds by Budweiser, which is no surprise considering my love for puppies!

What was your favorite Super Bowl 2015 commercial? Share in the comments section below.